Monday — The Nuggets are getting that ramped up this week. They took the end of April to finish up some scouting in preparation for June’s NBA draft. Slow-rolling the search hasn’t hurt the Nuggets one bit given the fact there are only two teams looking for coaches — Orlando being the other. There are a number of viable candidates out there and not enough positions for them all to fit into, so having to rush the process due to a ton of demand isn’t an issue. And yes, they’ll likely chat with Scott Brooks in addition to others. Brooks has accomplished too much to not at least talk with him about the opening, so it’s expected to happen. Where the search ultimately goes, we’ll see. Read more…

FILE – In this March 25, 2015, file photo, Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) reacts after scoring during an NBA basketball game against the Portland Trail Blazers in Salt Lake City. The Jazz wrapped up a better-than-expected season Wednesday, April 15, and now look to a future in which expectations have risen. (Rick Bowmer, The Associated Press)

During the regular season I do a bi-weekly mailbag. But just because the season ends doesn’t mean the questions do. Many of you have asked me questions about the team on Twitter, at my handle: @dempseypost.

I’ve answered some here, and will continue to at least semi-regularly do so as long as you guys keep ’em coming. This is the first installment of the very unoriginal name: Twitterbag.

@dempseypost serious question, do you think we lost the Gobert-Foye trade? Seems like we got fleeced.

Josh: This is a loaded question. First off, it was a Gobert-Erick Green trade, but we know what you’re getting at. The initial issue stems from the annual problem the NBA has always had with draft night trades: The picks are swapped, but since the league doesn’t finalize those trades until after the draft ends, the two teams have to pick a player for the other. Consequently, it looks like one player was traded for another, when, in fact, each team is instructed who to pick when the traded selections come up.

So, in other words, Utah told the Nuggets to pick Rudy Gobert with the 27th pick in the first round of the 2013 draft. The Nuggets then instructed Utah to pick Erick Green with 46th pick, a second-round selection. It’s hard to know what the Nuggets would have done with that pick had they kept it.

A concept of a Denver Nuggets helmet, designed by James Politi and Luke Daly. (Provided by James Politi and Luke Daly)

Ever wonder what a Denver Nuggets football helmet would look like?

Neither did I, but graphic designers James Politi and Luke Daly designed helmets for every single NBA team, including the Nuggets (above), in their “If the NBA had helmets” series.

The two stuck to two rules: No copying and pasting logos and no basketballs included in the designs because “only two of the 32 teams in the NFL have footballs on them (the helmets).”

Here’s how they designed the Nuggets’ helmet:

I altered the Nuggets’ alternate logo and placed (it) on the helmet after I cowered down and discarded a helmet that embraced the most colorful and intense throwbacks in history. I am typing in regret.

Jusuf Nurkic was the biggest pleasant surprise of the Nuggets season. Emphasis on big. All anyone really knew about him coming in was, first, he was huge — 6-11, 280 pounds — and second, he was raw. At the time he was drafted he’d played the sport of basketball for just under five years.

Jusuf Nurkic played (Photo By John Leyba/The Denver Post)

He was 19 years old.

By the time the season ended, Nurkic had become the young player fans and observers couldn’t get enough of. A severe ankle sprain in March changed the course of that season, however, as never regained the edge he started the season with. Right now he is giving it the rest it needs back home in Bosnia before he returns to the United States to begin the work of improving his game.

Nurkic’s assessment of his first season?

“It’s tough for me, my teammates, the fans,” Nurkic said. “It was a really tough season. I hope we learn something from this season. For myself, I’m excited for next season. My ankle still hurts, so I will take my time with my knee and my ankle, and I will come back strong.” Read more…

Jusuf Nurkic one of a host of young Nuggets already on the roster who will play in summer league. (David Zalubowski, The Associated Press)

If you watched the fourth quarter of the Nuggets regular season finale against Golden State, the individuals on the court in powder blue for the most part are players you’ll see again when summer league rolls around.

Usually an annual mystery until a week or so before it begins, the Nuggets summer league roster is already pretty known and stocked with players that will be the core of the team in their continued growth in the NBA.

The Nuggets struggled to fill the stands at Pepsi Center in 2014-15. (AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post)

The NBA announced on Thursday it set an all-time regular-season attendance record for 204-15, with 21,926,548 fans, surpassing the previous record of 21,841,480 in 2006-07.

The league’s average attendance (17,826) increased 2.4 percent over last season’s (17.757), the highest year-over-year jump since 1995-96, while 700 games sold out, surpassing the 676 sellouts 20 years ago.

Unfortunately for the Nuggets, their attendance figures for 2014-15 went in the opposite direction.

Finishing the season 30-52 and missing the playoffs for the second straight season seems to have taken a toll on the Nuggets’ fan base in Denver, where the team posted its lowest attendance figures since before the 1999-2000 season.

An average of 14,700 fans attended games, filling Pepsi Center to 76.7 percent capacity. The Nuggets’ ranked 28th out of the 30 NBA teams in home attendance, dropping nine spots from their No. 19 ranking (16,899) last season.

The Nuggets' average of 14,700 fans per game is the club's lowest figure since it moved into Pepsi Center before the 1999-2000 season.

Denver Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari, center, of Italy, drives the lane for a shot between Dallas Mavericks forward Charlie Villanueva, left, and center Bernard James during the second overtime period of an NBA basketball game Friday, April 10, 2015, in Denver. Dallas wpon 144-143. Gallinari scored a career-high 47 points. (David Zalubowski, The Associated Press)

Spotlight on … Danilo Gallinari, forward, Denver Nuggets

When: There are times when the sample size is too small. And there are times when it’s indicative of a larger movement taking place. That’s where we are with Danilo Gallinari, who is the penultimate Denver Post NBA player of the week for the evaluation period of April 4-10.

What’s up: In two games, Gallinari averaged 37 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 blocked shots. He shot 57.1 percent from the field, including 53.8 percent from the 3-point line. The Nuggets split those games, one win and one double-overtime loss, but when Gallo was on the court he was a plus-24.

Copeland’s ex-fiancée, Katrine Saltara, was slashed in multiple areas, but was released from the hospital Wednesday evening. And the other woman was slashed in the abdomen, but was said to be in stable condition.

Two Atlanta Hawks players, Pero Antic and Thabo Sefolosha, were also on the scene of the incident and were detained for trying to prevent police from setting up a crime scene investigation. They were released without bail after being charged with obstructing governmental authority and disorderly conduct.

A suspect, 22-year-old Shevoy Bleary, was arrested and is facing charges.

According to the Indianapolis Star, Copeland and Saltara were assaulted while waiting for their car outside the club, while a source told the paper that “Chris did not initiate anything.”

But for some reason, Copeland felt the need to apologize, releasing this statement Thursday:

Brooklyn Nets’ Jorge Gutierrez, left, guards Sacramento Kings’ Ray McCallum in the second half of an NBA basketball game on Sunday, March 9, 2014 at Barclays Center in New York. The Nets won 104-89. (Kathy Kmonicek, The Associated Press)

The Milwaukee Bucks signed guard Jorge Gutierrez to a multi-year contract, general manager John Hammond announced Tuesday.

The 6-foot-3 Gutierrez, a star player at Abraham Lincoln High School in Denver, averaged 3.6 points and 2.1 rebounds in seven games for the Bucks earlier this season. He was playing for the Canton Charge in the NBA D-League, averaging 13.5 points, 5.1 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1.7 steals.

In his NBA career, he played with Brooklyn before being traded to Philadelphia on Dec. 11, 2014. He was subsequently waived by the 76ers.

When: The March 28-April 3 evaluation period brought us the return of an old friend — Chris Paul. The point guard played some of his best basketball of the season during the span, and because of that he is The Denver Post’s NBA player of the week.

What’s up: In three games, Paul averaged 29.7 points, 12.0 assists and 2.3 steals. He shot 53.2 percent from the field, including 47.4 percent from 3-point range, and he didn’t miss a free throw — on an average of 10 attempts per game.

Background: We’ve all seen “The Crossover,” the move Golden State’s Stephen Curry put on Paul that put him on the ground. But despite that one moment of shame, Paul has been brilliant. Never more has that been apparent than recently, just when the Clippers need it in the middle of a playoff race. Since December, Paul’s performance has improved every month, and the Clippers are benefiting.

Dempsey’s take: Is there a question about whether Paul is the best point guard in the NBA? Sure there is. Curry is just one of a new wave of young players pushing for that crown. But do you still want Paul as your team leader, running the show? Absolutely. He’s every bit as effective as he had ever been, and this past week showed it. Furthermore, Paul’s performance is peaking at the right time, and because of that the Clippers will be a sleeper team in the Western Conference playoffs.

Former Nuggets guard Lafayette “Fat” Lever will be honored by the team next week. (Photo by Jake Schoellkopf/NBAE via Getty Images)

Since this has unofficially become The Year of the Triple-Double, it’s only fitting that the Nuggets bring back a star that, when he played, voraciously collected triple-doubles like people do Facebook friends.

Lafayette “Fat” Lever is being honored by the team on Wednesday, April 8, the night the Nuggets face the L.A. Lakers. Read more…

The change was quick, the staff was depleted and Melvin Hunt had to adjust on the fly.

Friday night’s game at San Antonio is Hunt’s 17th game as interim head coach since taking over for the fired Brian Shaw on March 3. Though things were coming at him at warp speed, and though his staff was reduced to a skeleton crew, Hunt says none of his first foray into head coaching has felt like drinking from a fire hydrant.

“It doesn’t,” Hunt said.

He credits the remaining staff, who have all taken on added responsibility, for keeping things together over the last month. Read more…

The Nets’ Brook Lopez puts up a shot in front of the Wizards’ Marcin Gortat during the first half at Verizon Center on Feb. 7, 2015 in Washington. (Rob Carr, Getty Images)

Spotlight on… Brook Lopez, center, Nets

When: The March 21-27 evaluation period brought a small surprise to the table. Well, make that a large one. Brooklyn’s Brook Lopez, a skilled 7-foot center, had a breakout week deserving of The Denver Post’s NBA player of the week award.

What’s up: In four games, the 26-year-old Lopez averaged 27.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.3 blocked shots and one steal. He shot 61.3 percent from the field and 95 percent from the free-throw line. The Nets, who have played much better the past two weeks, won three of the four games — including a victory over LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday.

When: Based on some vintage performances, The Denver Post’s NBA player of the week award goes to Miami’s Dwyane Wade for the evaluation period of March 14-20.

What’s up: In three games, Wade averaged 28.7 points, 4.0 assists and 2.3 steals. The Marquette product shot 56.5 percent from the floor, leading the Heat to three wins.

Background: Sure, Wade is getting old. It’s showing up in games missed because of injuries, a loss of the explosive athleticism that once defined his game, and the many times Miami will sit him out for rest. But the old Flash is still in there, and in three turn-back-the clock performances, Wade showed there’s still tread on his tires at age 33. His best game: 32 points and five steals in a win over the surging Cleveland Cavaliers and their superstar, LeBron James.

Dempsey’s take: What’s not to love? Wade looked like the Wade we all remember — and that player was a nightly tidal wave of greatness. The backdrop of all this, even after the loss of the team’s best player, Chris Bosh, is the Heat contending for a playoff berth and being re-energized by additions to the team such as point guard Goran Dragic, center Hassan Whiteside and forward Marcus Beasley. Wade is providing the steady leadership needed to get Miami back to the postseason.

When: With apologies to Cleveland’s Kyrie Irving, Parker is getting the nod as The Denver Post player of the week for March 7-13.

What’s up: In three games, Parker averaged 28.7 points, 5.7 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals. He shot 59.7 percent from the field and 40 percent from the 3-point line. The Spurs won two of those three.

Chris Dempsey arrived at The Denver Post in Dec. 2003 after seven years at the Boulder Daily Camera, where he primarily covered the University of Colorado football and men's basketball teams. A University of Colorado-Boulder alumnus, Dempsey covers the Nuggets and also chips in on college sports.